Traditional Travel Catches up

Within the same week, UK travel agent Thomson announces its growing success online and one of the Internet stalwarts Expedia suffers a drastic fall in shares as first quarter results disappoint.

The sector has been very interesting to watch online and I wonder if we are now experiencing the fight back that has been muted for some time. The Internet has changed the model of how we book holidays and in some way what we expect from a holiday, but the holiday experience, the senses and feelings, that traditional travel agents have for years used to lure us into the holiday of a lifetime, are finding their way online. Video streaming is just one of the techniques that Thomson is employing to deliver the desire and it seems to be working.

In every sector now, the next big web challenge is to provide the consumer with a sensory experience in one form or another. So, does it stand to reason that those who are practised offline, will now take the lead online?